Arts leaders had a vision some 33 years ago when they converted a shuttered brewery along an under-developed stretch of the San Antonio River into a cultural institute. For many years, however, the San Antonio Museum of Art was isolated from much of the economic activity tied to the waterway.

Now, SAMA finds itself in the middle of an historic urban makeover, as developers are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new projects in a section of the Alamo City which has been redefined as the Museum Reach — an area surrounding a 1.3 mile extension of the downtown River Walk. That new development is bringing big change to a once stagnant neighborhood, and creating new opportunities for one of the more important anchors.

“It took some time. But there has been an incredible amount of development,” says SAMA Director Katie Luber about the emerging Museum Reach area.

“I do believe that the cultural element is the heart of all of this,” she continues. “I believe we will end up being at the core of a second urban area that will be vibrant, full of businesses and residences. That’s great for the museum and great for the city.”

SAMA is seeking to attract more members and money. The museum is banking on a Matisse exhibition, which has generated big turnstile counts in other U.S. cities, to help expand its support and reach.

“What this does is raise our profile in the region, in the state and nationally,” says Luber about the exhibition, which runs through Sept. 7. “It brings us new opportunities.”

Luber says Indianapolis attracted 75,000-plus visitors for its Matisse exhibition, while more than 90,000 people attended viewed the artist’s works in Minneapolis.

SAMA currently has about 4,000 members. That number is expected to spike as a result of heightened interest in the museum — spurred in part by interest in the Matisse exhibition.